Music Notation Symbols Music Notation Symbols Clefs - Notes and Rests - Accidentals - Relationships - Dynamics - Accents - Repeats Music Notation consists of a collection of music symbols that are used to better define the structure of a musical composition. These musical symbols will tell us the pitch that a song is played in, (clefs), the key that it is played using a key signature composed of sharps and flats, a pitch change in the composition, (sharps and flats), and where the silences between the notes are to be played, (rests). Some of theses music symbols also tell us where,and when to emphasize, or de-emphasize a particular segment of the music , ( accents , dynamics), or when to play a passage more than once, (repeats). There are different types of clefs, rests, dynamics, accents, accidentals and repeat symbols used in music notation, each one having a unique characteristic, and their use depends on what the composer wishes to accomplish in his musical score. CLEFS A Clef (from the French for "key") is a musical symbol used to indicate the pitch of written notes.

Placed on one of the lines at the beginning of the staff, it indicates the name and pitch of the notes on that line. This line serves as a reference point by which the names of the notes on any other line or space of the staff may be determined. The two clefs that we most commonly use today are the G clef or treble clef, and the F clef or bass clef. G clef (Treble Clef) - The center of the spiral defines the line or space upon which it rests as the pitch range of the composition C clef (Alto Clef) - This clef points to the line (or space, rarely) representing middle C F clef (Bass Clef) - The line or space between the dots in this clef denotes the pitch range Octave Clef - Treble and bass clefs can also be modified by octave numbers Neutral Clef - Used for pitch-less instruments, such as some of those used for percussion NOTES AND RESTS A Rest is an interval of silence in a piece of music, marked by a sign indicating the length of the pause.

Each rest symbol corresponds with a particular note value Multi-Measure Rest - Indicates the number of measures in a resting part depending upon the number over the rest Double Bar Line - Used at changes in key signature, major changes in style or tempo, or to separate 2 phrases of music Dotted Bar Line - Divides long measures into shorter segments for ease of reading Beamed Notes -Beams connect and emphasize quavers, (1/8 notes), and shorter note values Ledger Lines - Used to extend the staff to pitches that fall above or below it Breath Mark - In a score, this symbol tells the performer to make a slight pause ACCIDENTALS An accidental is a note whose pitch is not a member of a scale or mode indicated by the most recently applied key signature. In musical notation, the symbols used to mark such notes, sharps, flats, and natural, may also be called accidentals. An accidental sign raises or lowers the following note from its normal pitch, usually by a semitone, although microtonal music may use "fractional" accidental signs, and one occasionally sees double sharps or flats, which raise or lower the indicated note by a whole tone.

Accidentals apply within the measure and octave in which they appear and modify the pitch of the notes that follow them on the same staff unless cancelled by an another accidental.

Demiflat - Lowers the pitch of a note by one quarter tone Flat - Lowers the pitch of a note by one semitone, or one half step Flat-and-a-Half - Lowers the pitch of a note by three quarter tones Double Flat - Lowers the pitch of a note by two chromatic semitones, or one whole step Natural - Cancels a previous accidental, or modifies the pitch of a sharp or flat as defined by the prevailing key signature Demisharp - Raises the pitch of a note by one quarter tone Sharp - Raises the pitch of a note by one semitone Sharp-and-a-Half - Raises the pitch of a note by three quarter tones Double Sharp - Raises the pitch of a note by two chromatic semitones Common Time - The equivalent of 4/4 time Cut Time - Indicates 2/2 time Metronome Mark - Defines the tempo of the music by assigning the durations of the note values within the score NOTE RELATIONSHIPS Triplet - Condenses three notes into the normal duration of two notes Ligature - Also known as a phrase mark. A group of notes intended to be played or sung as one phrase.

Tie - Indicates that the two notes joined together are to be played as one note. A tie joins two notes of the same pitch Legato - Notes covered by this sign are to be played with no gaps. Sometimes indistinguishable from a slur Glissando (Portamento) - A continuous, unbroken glide from one note to the next that includes the pitches in between Slur - Used in musical notation to indicate a group of notes that must be played smoothly. A slur may join any number of notes of varying pitches Chord (Triad) - Three or more notes played simultaneously. If only two notes are played, it is called an interval Arpeggio or Rolled chord - Like a chord, except the notes are played in rapid sequence DYNAMICS In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a note or the relative intensity of a note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic (staccato, legato etc.) or functional (velocity). In short they indicate the relative intensity or volume of a musical line Piano - Soft Mezzo-piano - Half as soft as piano Pianissimo - Very soft.

Usually the softest indication in a piece of music Forte - Loud Mezzo-Forte - Half as loud as forte Fortissimo - Very loud. Usually the loudest indication in a piece Sforzando - Denotes an abrupt, fierce accent on a single sound or chord Decrescendo - A gradual decrease in volume, usually extends for several notes Crescendo - A gradual increase in volume, usually extends for several notes ACCENTS or ARTICULATIONS Accents and Articulations specify how individual notes are to be performed within a passage. In music, an accent is an emphasis placed on a particular note, either as a result of its context or specifically indicated by an accent mark. A tonic accent is an emphasis on a note by virtue of being higher in pitch than surrounding notes. An agogic accent is an emphasis by virtue of being longer in duration than surrounding notes, in a way that shifts their time of onset. Dynamic accents are created when one note is louder than another.

Accent - The note is played louder or with a harder attack than any surrounding notes Staccato - This indicates that the note is to be played shorter than notated, usually half the value Staccatissimo - Indicates a longer silence after the note (as described above), making the note very short Fermata - An indefinitely-sustained note or chord Natural Harmonic or Open note - On a stringed instrument, denotes that a natural harmonic is to be played Marcato - The note is played much louder or with a much harder attack than any surrounding notes Trill - A rapid alternation between the specified note and the next higher tone or semitone within its duration Tremolo - A rapidly-repeated note. If the tremolo is between two notes, then they are played in rapid alternation Grace Note - The first half of the principal note's duration has the pitch of the grace note REPEATS Repeats give specific directions for navigating passages. In music, a repeat sign is the sign which indicates a section should be repeated. If the piece has one repeat sign alone, then that means to repeat from the beginning, and then continue on (or stop, if the sign appears at the end of the piece).

A corresponding sign facing the other way indicates where the repeat is to begin. These are similar to the instructions da capo and dal segno. Where the composer wants a different ending for the second time a repeat is played, they will place number brackets above the bars which are to be played the first time (1), and those which are to be played the second time (2). These are referred to as "first-time bar" and "second-time bar," or "first and second endings." Numbers higher than two can be given as well, which implies that the passage is repeated as many times as the highest ending number given. Da Capo - Tells the performer to repeat playing of the song from its beginning. This is followed by al fine or al coda Dal Segno - Tells the performer to repeat playing of the song starting at the nearest segno. This is followed by al fine or al coda Segno - Sign that marks the beginning or end of a musical repeat, used with dal segno Coda - Indicates a forward jump in the song to its ending passage, marked with the same sign. Only used after playing through a D.S. al coda or D.C.

al coda Volta Brackets (1st and 2nd endings) - Denote that a repeated passage is to be played in different ways on different playings Repeat Signs - Enclose a passage that is to be played more than once Simile Marks - Denote that preceding groups of beats or measures are to be repeated, more than once Key Signatures - Spoonman | Key Signatures spoonman » Lessons » key-signatures A key signature is a standardized collection of all the sharps or flats used in a scale, written immediately after the clef at the beginning of a line of musical notation, although they can appear in other parts of a score, usually after a double bar. Accidentals An accidental is a musical notation symbol used to raise or lower the pitch of a note. A sharp raises the pitch of a note one semitone while a flat lowers it a semitone. A natural is used to cancel the effect of a flat or sharp. Key signatures are very useful and practical for music notation. Instead of putting a sharp for each F in G Major or E Minor scale, putting just one sharp after the chef is enough at the beginning.

For key signatures with sharps, the first sharp is placed on F line (for the key of G major/E minor). Subsequent additional sharps are added on C, G, D, A, E and B. For key signatures with flats, the first flat is placed on the B line, with subsequent flats on E, A, D, G, C and F. There are 15 different key signatures, including the "empty" signature of C major/A minor. Please look at the simple key signature worksheet. This small key signatures chart tells so much! G Major / E Minor Appendix:Modern musical symbols - Wiktionary Appendix:Modern musical symbols Jump to: navigation , search Modern musical symbols are the marks and symbols that are widely used in musical scores of all styles and instruments today. This is intended to be a comprehensive English guide to the various symbols encountered in modern musical notation . Contents staff , stave The fundamental latticework of music notation, upon which symbols are placed. The five staff lines and four intervening spaces correspond to pitches of the diatonic scale - which pitch is meant by a given line or space is defined by the clef .

With treble clef, the bottom staff line is assigned to E above middle C (E4 in note-octave notation ); the space above it is F4, and so on. The grand staff combines bass and treble staffs into one system joined by a brace. It is used for keyboard and harp music. The lines on a basic five-line staff are designated a number from one to five, the bottom line being the first one and the top line being the fifth. The spaces between the lines are, in the same fashion, numbered from one to four. In music education, for the Treble Clef, the mnemonic "Every Good Boy Does Fine" (or "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge") is used to remember the value of each line from bottom to top. The interstitial spaces are often remembered as spelling the word "face" (notes F-A-C-E). Used to separate measures (see time signatures below for an explanation of measures). Bar lines are extended to connect the upper and lower staffs of a grand staff. Double bar line, Double barline Used to separate two sections or phrases of music . Also used at changes in key signature or major changes in style or tempo.

A bold double bar line indicates the conclusion of a movement or an entire composition. Dotted bar line, Dotted barline Subdivides long measures into shorter segments for ease of reading, usually according to natural rhythmic subdivisions. Accolade, brace Connects two or more lines of music that are played simultaneously. [1] Depending on the instruments playing, the brace, or accolade, will vary in designs and styles. Main article: Clef Clefs define the pitch range, or tessitura , of the staff on which it is placed. A clef is usually the leftmost symbol on a staff. Additional clefs may appear in the middle of a staff to indicate a change in register for instruments with a wide range. In early music, clefs could be placed on any of several lines on a staff. G clef ( Treble Clef ) The centre of the spiral defines the line or space upon which it rests as the pitch G above middle C, or approximately 392 Hz .

Positioned here, it assigns G above middle C to the second line from the bottom of the staff, and is referred to as the "treble clef." This is the most commonly encountered clef in modern notation, and is used for most modern vocal music. Middle-C is the 1st ledger line below the stave here. The shape of the clef comes from a stylised upper-case-G. C clef ( Alto Clef and Tenor Clef ) This clef points to the line (or space, rarely) representing middle C, or approximately 262 Hz . Positioned here, it makes the center line on the staff middle C, and is referred to as the "alto clef." This clef is used in modern notation for the viola . While all clefs can be placed anywhere on the staff to indicate various tessitura, the C clef is most often considered a "movable" clef: it is frequently seen pointing instead to the fourth line and called a "tenor clef". This clef is used very often in music written for bassoon , cello , and trombone ; it replaces the bass clef when the number of ledger lines above the bass staff hinders easy reading.

C clefs were used in vocal music of the classical era and earlier; however, their usage in vocal music has been supplanted by the universal use of the treble and bass clefs. Modern editions of music from such periods generally transpose the original C-clef parts to either treble (female voices), octave treble (tenors), or bass clef (tenors and basses). F clef ( Bass Clef ) The line or space between the dots in this clef denotes F below middle C, or approximately 175 Hz . Positioned here, it makes the second line from the top of the staff F below middle C, and is called a "bass clef." This clef appears nearly as often as the treble clef, especially in choral music, where it represents the bass and baritone voices. Middle C is the 1st ledger line above the stave here. The shape of the clef comes from a stylised upper-case-F (which used to be written the reverse of the modern F) Neutral clef Used for pitchless instruments, such as some of those used for percussion . Each line can represent a specific percussion instrument within a set, such as in a drum set.

Two different styles of neutral clefs are pictured here. It may also be drawn with a separate single-line staff for each untuned percussion instrument. Octave Clef Treble and bass clefs can also be modified by octave numbers. An eight or fifteen above a clef raises the intended pitch range by one or two octaves respectively. Similarly, an eight or fifteen below a clef lowers the pitch range by one or two octaves respectively. A treble clef with an eight below is the most commonly used, typically used instead of a C clef for tenor lines in choral scores. Even if the eight is not present, tenor parts in the treble clef are understood to be sung an octave lower than written. Tablature For guitars and other plucked instruments it is possible to notate tablature in place of ordinary notes. In this case, a TAB-sign is often written instead of a clef. The number of lines of the staff is not necessarily five: one line is used for each string of the instrument (so, for standard 6-stringed guitars, six lines would be used). Numbers on the lines show on which fret the string should be played.

This Tab-sign, like the Percussion clef, is not a clef in the true sense, but rather a symbol employed instead of a clef. The interstitial spaces on a tablature are never used. Notes and rests[ edit ] Main article: Note value Note and rest values are not absolutely defined, but are proportional in duration to all other note and rest values. The whole note is the reference value, and the other notes are named (in American) in comparison; i.e. a quarter note is a quarter the length of a whole note. Note Hemidemisemiquaver / Sixty-fourth note Beamed notes Beams connect eighth notes (quavers) and notes of shorter value, and are equivalent in value to flags. In metered music, beams reflect the rhythmic grouping of notes. They may also be used to group short phrases of notes of the same value, regardless of the meter; this is more common in ametrical passages. In older printings of vocal music, beams are often only used when several notes are to be sung to one beat; modern notation encourages the use of beaming in a consistent manner with instrumental engraving, and the presence of beams or flags no longer informs the singer.

Today, due to the body of music in which traditional metric states are not always assumed, beaming is at the discretion of the composer or arranger and irregular beams are often used to place emphasis on a particular rhythmic pattern. Placing dots to the right of the corresponding notehead lengthens the note's duration. n dots lengthen the note by 2 n {\displaystyle {\tfrac {2^{n}-1}{2^{n}}}} its value, e.g. one dot by one-half, two dots by three-quarters, three dots by seven-eighths, and so on. Rests can be dotted in the same manner as notes. For example, if a quarter note had one dot alongside itself, it would get one and a half beats. Multi-measure rest Indicates the number of measures in a resting part without a change in meter, used to conserve space and to simplify notation. Also called "gathered rest" or "multi-bar rest". Durations shorter than the 64th are rare but not unknown. 128th notes are used by Mozart and Beethoven ; 256th notes occur in works of Vivaldi and even Beethoven.

An extreme case is the Toccata Grande Cromatica by early-19th-century American composer Anthony Phillip Heinrich, which uses note values as short as 2,048ths; however, the context shows clearly that these notes have one beam more than intended, so they should really be 1,024th notes. The name of very short notes can be found with this formula: N number of flags on note + {\displaystyle Name=2^{({\text{number of flags on note}}+2)}} th note. Breath mark In a score, this symbol tells the performer to take a breath. (or make a slight pause for non-wind instruments). This pause usually does not affect the overall tempo. For bowed instruments, it indicates to lift the bow and play the next note with a downward (or upward, if marked) bow. Indicates a brief, silent pause, during which time is not counted. In ensemble playing, time resumes when so indicated by the conductor or leader. Accidentals and key signatures[ edit ] Common accidentals[ edit ] Accidentals modify the pitch of the notes that follow them on the same staff position within a measure, unless cancelled by an additional accidental.

Key signatures[ edit ] Key signatures define the prevailing key of the music that follows, thus avoiding the use of accidentals for many notes. If no key signature appears, the key is assumed to be C major/A minor, but can also signify a neutral key, employing individual accidentals as required for each note. The key signature examples shown here are described as they would appear on a treble staff. Flat key signature Lowers by a semitone the pitch of notes on the corresponding line or space, and all octaves thereof, thus defining the prevailing major or minor key. Different keys are defined by the number of flats in the key signature, starting with the leftmost, i.e., B♭, and proceeding to the right; for example, if only the first two flats are used, the key is B♭ major/G minor, and all B's and E's are "flattened", i.e. lowered to B♭ and E♭. Sharp key signature Raises by a semitone the pitch of notes on the corresponding line or space, and all octaves thereof, thus defining the prevailing major or minor key.

Different keys are defined by the number of sharps in the key signature, also proceeding from left to right; for example, if only the first four sharps are used, the key is E major/C♯ minor, and the corresponding pitches are raised. Quarter-tone accidentals[ edit ] These are examples of the most common notation for music involving quarter tones . ( Microtonal notation in Western music is not widely standardized and other symbols may be used instead of the ones below.) Demiflat Lowers the pitch of a note by one quarter tone. (Another notation for the demiflat is a flat with a diagonal slash through its stem. In systems where pitches are divided into intervals smaller than a quarter tone, the slashed flat represents a lower note than the reversed flat.) Flat-and-a-half (sesquiflat) Lowers the pitch of a note by three quarter tones . Demisharp Raises the pitch of a note by one quarter tone. Sharp-and-a-half Raises the pitch of a note by three quarter tones. Occasionally represented with two vertical and three diagonal bars instead. Main article: Time signature Time signatures define the meter of the music.

Music is "marked off" in uniform sections called bars or measures, and time signatures establish the number of beats in each. This is not necessarily intended to indicate which beats are emphasized, however. A time signature that conveys information about the way the piece actually sounds is thus chosen. Time signatures tend to suggest, but only suggest, prevailing groupings of beats or pulses. Specific time The bottom number represents the note value of the basic pulse of the music (in this case the 4 represents the crotchet or quarter-note). The top number indicates how many of these note values appear in each measure. This example announces that each measure is the equivalent length of three crotchets (quarter-notes). You would pronounce this as "Three Four Time", and was referred to as a "perfect" time. Metronome mark Written at the start of a score, and at any significant change of tempo, this symbol precisely defines the tempo of the music by assigning absolute durations to all note values within the score. In this particular example, the performer is told that 120 crotchets, or quarter notes, fit into one minute of time. Many publishers precede the marking with letters "M.M.", referring to Maelzel 's Metronome .

Tie Indicates that the two (or more) notes joined together are to be played as one note with the time values added together. To be a tie, the notes must be identical; that is, they must be on the same line or the same space; otherwise, it is a slur (see below). Slur Indicates that two or more notes are to be played in one physical stroke, one uninterrupted breath, or (on instruments with neither breath nor bow) connected into a phrase as if played in a single breath. In certain contexts, a slur may only indicate that the notes are to be played legato ; in this case, rearticulation is permitted. Slurs and ties are similar in appearance. A tie is distinguishable because it always joins exactly two immediate adjacent notes of the same pitch, whereas a slur may join any number of notes of varying pitches. A phrase mark (or more uncommonly, ligature) is a mark that is visually identical to a slur, but connects a passage of music over several measures. A phrase mark indicates a musical phrase and may not necessarily require that the music be slurred. Glissando or Portamento A continuous, unbroken glide from one note to the next that includes the pitches between.

Some instruments, such as the trombone, timpani, non-fretted string instruments, electronic instruments, and the human voice can make this glide continuously (portamento), while other instruments such as the piano or mallet instruments will blur the discrete pitches between the start and end notes to mimic a continuous slide (glissando). Tuplet A number of notes of irregular duration are performed within the duration of a given number of notes of regular time value; e.g., five notes played in the normal duration of four notes; seven notes played in the normal duration of two; three notes played in the normal duration of four. Tuplets are named according to the number of irregular notes; e.g., duplets, triplets, quadruplets, etc. Soft. Usually the most often used indication. Mezzo piano Literally, half as soft as piano. Mezzo forte Similarly, half as loud as forte. More commonly used than mezzo-piano. If no dynamic appears, mezzo-forte is assumed to be the prevailing dynamic level. Forte Loud. Used as often as piano to indicate contrast. Fortissimo Very loud.

Usually the loudest indication in a piece, though louder dynamics are often specified with additional fs (such as fortississimo - seen below). Fortississimo Extremely loud. Very infrequently does one see louder dynamics than this, which are specified with additional fs. Sforzando Literally "forced", denotes an abrupt, fierce accent on a single sound or chord. When written out in full, it applies to the sequence of sounds or chords under or over which it is placed. Crescendo A gradual increase in volume. Can be extended under many notes to indicate that the volume steadily increases during the passage. Diminuendo Staccato This indicates that the note is to be played shorter than notated, usually half the value, the rest of the metric value is then silent. Staccato marks may thus appear on notes of any value, thus shortening their actual performed duration without speeding up the music itself. Staccatissimo Indicates a longer silence after the note (as described above), making the note very short. Usually applied to quarter notes or shorter. (In the past, this marking’s meaning was more ambiguous: it sometimes was used interchangeably with staccato, and sometimes indicated an accent and not staccato.

These usages are now almost defunct, but still appear in some scores.) Left-hand pizzicato or Stopped note A note on a stringed instrument where the string is plucked with the left hand (the hand that usually stops the strings) rather than bowed. On the horn , this accent indicates a "stopped note" (a note played with the stopping hand shoved further into the bell of the horn). Snap pizzicato On a stringed instrument, a note played by stretching a string away from the frame of the instrument and letting it go, making it "snap" against the frame. Also known as a Bartók pizzicato. Natural harmonic or Open note On a stringed instrument, denotes that a natural harmonic is to be played. On a valved brass instrument, denotes that the note is to be played "open" (without lowering any valve, or without mute). In organ music, this denotes that a pedal note is to be played with the heel. An indefinitely-sustained note or chord. Usually appears over all parts at the same metrical location in a piece, to show a halt in tempo . It can be placed above or below the note.

Up bow or Sull'arco On a bowed string instrument, the note is played while drawing the bow upward. On a plucked string instrument played with a plectrum or pick (such as a guitar played pickstyle or a mandolin ), the note is played with an upstroke. In organ notation, this marking indicates to play the pedal note with the toe. Down bow or Giù arco Like sull'arco, except the bow is drawn downward. On a plucked string instrument played with a plectrum or pick (such as a guitar played pickstyle or a mandolin ), the note is played with a downstroke. Also note in organ notation, this marking indicates to play the pedal note with the heel. Trill A rapid alternation between the specified note and the next higher note (according to key signature) within its duration. Also called a "shake." When followed by a wavy horizontal line, this symbol indicates an extended, or running, trill. In much music, the trill begins on the upper auxiliary note. Mordent Rapidly play the principal note, the next higher note (according to key signature) then return to the principal note for the remaining duration.

In much music, the mordent begins on the auxiliary note, and the alternation between the two notes may be extended. Mordent (inverted) Rapidly play the principal note, the semitone below it, then return to the principal note for the remaining duration. In much music, the mordent begins on the auxiliary note, and the alternation between the two notes may be extended. Turn When placed directly above the note, the turn (also known as a gruppetto) indicates a sequence of upper auxiliary note, principal note, lower auxiliary note, and a return to the principal note. When placed to the right of the note, the principal note is played first, followed by the above pattern. A vertical line placed through the turn reverses the order of the auxiliary notes. Tremolo A rapidly-repeated note. If the tremolo is between two notes, then they are played in rapid alternation. The number of slashes through the stem (or number of diagonal bars between two notes) indicates the frequency at which the note is to be repeated (or alternated). As shown here, the note is to be repeated at a demisemiquaver (thirty-second note) rate.

In percussion notation , tremolos are used to indicate rolls, diddles , and drags . Typically, a single tremolo line on a sufficiently short note (such as a sixteenth) is played as a drag, and a combination of three stem and tremolo lines indicates a double-stroke roll (or a single-stroke roll , in the case of timpani ) for a period equivalent to the duration of the note. In other cases, the interpretation of tremolos is highly variable, and should be examined by the director and performers. Enclose a passage that is to be played more than once. If there is no left repeat sign, the right repeat sign sends the performer back to the start of the piece or the nearest double bar. Simile marks Denote that preceding groups of beats or measures are to be repeated. In the examples here, the 1st usually means to repeat the previous bar, and the 2nd usually means to repreat the previous 2 bars. Volta brackets (1st and 2nd endings, or 1st and 2nd time bars) Denote that a repeated passage is to be played in different ways on different playings.

Da capo Tells the performer to repeat playing of the music from its beginning. This is followed by al fine, which means to repeat to the word fine and stop, or al coda, which means repeat to the coda sign and then jump forward. Tells the performer to repeat playing of the music starting at the nearest segno. This is followed by al fine or al coda just as with da capo. Segno Note Symbols | cgsmusic Note Symbols ______________________ Widely used in “early music”. Always played on the beat. The principal follows the duration of the appoggiatura. The duration of the appoggiatura is determined by the note value of the principal note. May ascend (move from the note below the principal note) or descend (move from the note above the principal note) depending on the ornamental sign. ______________________ The sign that lowers a note by two semitones. ______________________ The sign that raises a note by two semitones. ______________________ (Italian) musical symbol placed over a note or rest to be extended beyond its normal duration ______________________ A sign which lowers the pitch of a note by one semitone.

______________________ (From an Italian word meaning “to lean”.) A grace note is either played quickly just before the beat resolving to the accented principal note, or is played on the beat but resolving quickly to the accented principal note. ______________________ A note neither sharpened nor flattened. The sign placed before a note that is neither sharpened nor flattened. ______________________ A sign to show that a note should be raised one semitone in pitch. ______________________ A group of notes are played in one breath. Notes move smoothly one to the other with no perceptible break. ______________________ Note is sustained through the total time value of the notes under the tie. ______________________ An additional elaboration added to a written melody. ______________________ A group of three notes of equal time value performed in the time of two. One or two of the notes may be rests of equal value. ______________________ The note above, the note itself, the note below, then the note itself again. The turn may be inverted as in the preparation of an ascending trill when the note sequence becomes the note below, the note itself, the note above, then the note itself again.

______________________ OnMusic Dictionary - topic Recommended Accidentals There is no specific name for the combined symbols (natural & flat, natural & sharp). In the case of a double flat note, the placement of a natural symbol next to a flat symbol (as shown in the second note on the left example) would logically translate into the natural symbol canceling the first flat of the double flat shown on the first note. So the first note with the double flat would lower the written pitch (C) by two semitones. The second note with a natural symbol and a flat symbol would lower that written pitch (C) only one semitone. The example on the right is the preferred notation since it shows the same pitches and is easier for the performer to read. Same concept applies to a double sharp note. The double natural symbol is a theoretical accidental symbol and is not used in common practice. The double natural is very confusing and redundant, because there is no functional difference between a double natural symbol and a regular natural symbol. Both symbols cancel any alteration of the pitch from prior accidentals. With the examples on either side of this, the actual written pitch (C) would be performed.

Thus, it is more useful to avoid the use the notation shown on the left and use the accepted notation shown on the right. Triple Accidentals 11. Accidentals - musictheory4u 11. Accidentals Grade 1. lesson 11 accidentals What is meant by Accidentals, what are they, and why do we need them? Accidentals are music symbols, Sharps, Flats, and Naturals. The symbols can be placed in front of a note, if we did this with a sharp sign it would be called a sharp accidental and would raise the pitch of sound of the note which the accidental is being used with, raise it by the value of a semitone. The Natural sign is used to restore the pitch back to normal. When a flat sign is used it lowers the pitch of sound by a semitone, again a natural accidental will restore it back to normal pitch. When the sharps or flats are going to be used often within the piece of music, like in the key of D major, the sharps are gathered together inplace of using them for accidentals they are placed at the beginning of each set of staff lines and called a key signature.

Howerver, in some music, the composer wants an extra symbol, so he uses accidentals. Accidentals, Sharps, Flats, and Naturals What do these music symbols do to the notes? The Sharp raises the note by a semitone The Flat lowers the note by a semitone The Natural restores the note to its original pitch. When we use an accidental, it is placed just in front of the Note Head. Like the two signs you see in the example above., they are both on the D line, so we need the centre of the accidentals to show the line through the middle of the sign. The first accidental (the sharp) raises the note up by a semitone, the second accidential (the natural) cancels the sharp and puts the note back to its normal pitch. Take a look at the piano keys below: The sharp sign seen placed in front of the D note head, would tell the musician to play the first key to the right of the namtural D key. The natural sign placed in front of the D note head, would tell the musician to revert back to the normal white D key. This time we are looking at the Flat Sign, it is placed just in front of the note head.

These notes and accidentals are on the B line. Notice how once again the middle part of the flat sign shows the line through the middle. The same applies for the natural sign. It is very important the accidentals are written exactly in front of the notes they are intended to change. The first accidental (the flat) lowers the note down by a semitone, the second accidental (the natural) puts it back to normal pitch. The piano keys below show how this changes the note. The flat sign seen placed in front of the B note head, would tell the musician to play the first key to the left of the B key. The natural sign placed in front of the second B note head, would tell the musician to revert back to the normal B key, cancelling the previous flat sign. When we say draw your accidentals in front of the note head, we mean before the note. Sometimes one gets confused about this, and I have often seen sharps and flats drawn after the note. Also many times not written on the correct line, or in the correct space. So, let's take a look at some good, and some bad ones. Counting from the left, the first note with the green tick is good.

We also have numbers 3. 7. 8. and 10. all good Each sharp sign is placed in the correct position, when on a line you can see clearly the line through the middle. The sharps for the notes in spaces, again the centre of the sign is showing in the space. Numbers 2. 4. 5. 6. and number 9. are wrongly placed. With number 2 the sharp looks like it is more above the line. number 4. the sharp is placed too low, almost on line 3. Number 5 the sharp is way out of place, looks like there ought to be a note above line five. With number 6 the sharp looks like it is in the third space. and number 9. again the sharp is too high, with the note head being below the first line, and the sharp being on the line. Here are some good, and some bad Flat's and Naturals. See if you agree with the 'ticks and cross' Counting from the left. Numbers 1. 2. 5. and 6. are all correctly placed.

Now let's take a look at number 3, why is the flat sign written way below the line, it certainly does not look like it belongs to the note written on the line. Number 4. looks more like it's in the space than on line 4. Number 7. ought to be written in the second space, but where is it? Whatever happened to number 8? That's right, the flat is written on the wrong side of the note head. Oh dear! it's mistakes like these which lose marks on examination papers. This book contains all the information for accidentals required for grade one examination, set in lesson 11 of this book This book along with the grades 1 to 5 is following closely with the syllabus of the ABRSM Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music Click on the Get it Now Button to move to purchase page Accidentails and Bar lines When an accidental has been written, it affects all the other notes which are at the same pitch, in other words on the same line, or in the same space. But only until the bar line. The bar line cancels the power of the accidentals. Look at the example with the F and F#'s Number 1.

the first note is natural, there is no accidental. Number 2. it sharpened because we have used a sharp symbol. Number 3. is also a sharp because of the sharp sign on note 2. Number 4. the bar line cancelled out the sharp, so we had to replace it with another sharp symbol. Number 5. this is F natural because the natural cancelled out the sharp. Number 6. is a sharp because of the sharp symbol. Number 7. is a natural because of the bar line. Number 8. is a sharp Number 9. is F natural, because it is at a different pitch, and it does not have a sharp symbol. The accidental sign on the note number 8 in the space, will not cover the F note on line 5. Although they are both F notes they are at a different pitch. Only when sharps or flats are used in a key signature do they cover any of the notes placed at different pitch. Key Signatures Key Signatures A key signature is a standardized collection of all the sharps or flats used in a scale, written immediately after the clef at the beginning of a line of musical notation.

Accidentals An accidental is a musical notation symbol used to raise or lower the pitch of a note. A sharp raises the pitch of a note one semitone while a flat lowers it a semitone. A natural is used to cancel the effect of a flat or sharp. Shorthand Notation Key signatures are very usefull and practical for music notation. Key signatures provide us a means to visually represent the notes sharps or flats needed to placed on. By only showing up at the beginning of the musical notation. Keeps the musician from to repeatly indicate where the sharps and flats need to be placed on the appropriates throughout a piece of music. For key signatures with sharps, the first sharp is placed on F line (for the key of G major/E minor). Subsequent additional sharps are added on C, G, D, A, E and B in that respective order. For key signatures with flats, the first flat is placed on the B line, with subsequent flats on E, A, D, G, C and F.

G Major / E Minor Accidental | MuseScore Accidental This is an archived handbook page written for MuseScore 1 Navigate to the handbook page for MuseScore 2: Accidentals Accidentals can be set, or changed by dragging an accidental symbol from the accidental palette to a note in the score. If you only want to change the pitch of a note, you can also select the note and press: ↑ : Increase the pitch of a note by one semitone (favors sharps). ↓ : Decrease the pitch of a note by one semitone (favors flats). Ctrl : Increase the pitch of a note by one octave. Ctrl ↓ : Decrease the pitch of a note by one octave. You can change an existing accidental into a cautionary accidental (enclosed in parentheses), drag the parentheses from the accidental palette onto to the existing accidental (not the note head). To remove parentheses, select the accidental and press Del . If you later change the pitch with cursor keys, manual settings to the accidental are removed. The menu function

Question: Which symbol on a musical score raises the pitch by one semitone?
Answer: SHARP